


Pack

by nomedarte



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Depressing, Depression, Gen, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-18
Updated: 2012-06-18
Packaged: 2017-11-08 00:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/437172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomedarte/pseuds/nomedarte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek struggles with being the alpha.  The pack just struggles. Derek analyses the situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pack

**Author's Note:**

> this was written before the start of season 2
> 
> warning: it's not explicitly stated but I think several characters are suffering from depression.

Derek is a horrible teacher. He knows this. Jackson, who’s struggling to learn any form of control, knows this. Scott, who’s still mad and would rather be anywhere but around Derek, is making sure Derek knows this. Even Stiles, who’s laughing at all of them, can tell just how muck Derek sucks at being a teacher. Or maybe, Derek thinks, he’s just a bad alpha.

His pack is a mess. Scott really does not want to be around Derek. Derek can kind of understand it; after all he’s the one that told Scott that if he killed the wolf that bit him there was a chance he could be cured and then took that possibility away from him. But his uncle, no the alpha, killed his sister. Family does not betray family, and pack does not kill pack. So he had his reasons and he had every right to kill the alpha. Besides, if what Stiles says Dr. Deaton told Scott (and isn’t that convoluted) is true than Scott would not have been changed back anyway. And Derek doesn’t have too much of a reason to doubt the man who used to take care of his family.

Not that any of this matters to Scott. He’s still mad and he makes sure Derek knows this. He doesn’t talk to Derek, only to Stiles and Jackson, who make sure Derek knows if there is something going on with Scott he needs to know about it. Even then, Scott’s kind of distant with Jackson. They still don’t really get along even though they’re in the same pack. But then they’re co-captains of the lacrosse team and those practices are awkward too. Derek knows this first hand; he’s been to a few of those practices to watch his pack. He wanted to see if he could pick up anything that could help train Jackson and Scott. He wanted to be near the only family he has left. He wants to kill their couch…

Anyway, Scott’s not talking to Derek and only sort of talking to Jackson. He does spend a lot of time with Stiles still and Derek counts this as a good thing. At least Scott’s talking to somebody. Honestly, he might be talking to two somebodies but from what Stiles and Jackson say Scott hasn’t even mentioned Alison around them. But that’s probably not because he’s not seeing or speaking to her, although who knows. But no, Derek thinks it has more to do with Scott trying to not remind them that Lydia is still in a hospital bed. Which makes Derek want to hold him, or shake him, he hasn’t decided which one yet. Because, really, that’s sweet but Scott deserves to be able to talk to and about all the members of his pack; even the member with the crazy, homicidal family.

And Lydia, yeah… Lydia…

Jackson’s not handling Lydia’s attack well. Jackson has pushed himself hard and fast; probably too hard and too fast. All he does is school, lacrosse practice, and training with the pack. Oh and sitting in the hospital next to Lydia. He does that too. Derek is worried about him actually; he tries to let Jackson know through touches and stuff. He’s trying to be reassuring. He’d hold him but the one time he tried that he ended up with a nice set of scratches. He’d give him praise but Derek’s not good at praise, or communicating anything through speech really, and Jackson wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Jackson’s training isn’t going as well as either of them would like. He can’t control his heart rate at all. There have been a several dead animals and one close call with a human (at least it was only Stiles because it could have risked the pack or not because it did risk Stiles so it did risk the pack.) It was really bad the time Scott told him he needed to find an anchor, someone he loved or something. They had both shifted and it took Derek about an hour to get everybody to calm down. It would have been faster but he was trying to protect Stiles at the same time. When the claws were finally back in Stiles had asked what was wrong. Jackson didn’t respond. Derek knows Jackson’s struggling because he sucks at teaching, Scott’s proof enough of that. But Jackson blames himself.

He talked to Jackson’s father once. They ran into each other as they were both trying to check on Jackson at the hospital. Derek simply introduced himself as Jackson’s friend but Jackson had apparently mentioned him in some way to his parents because Mr. Whittemore didn’t ask many questions. He just said that it was good for Jackson to have friends who look out for him and told Derek that he would be welcome around the house any time he wanted, Well he didn’t tell Derek, exactly, because Derek had used the name Miguel, but close enough.

Stiles is also struggling. He blamed himself for Lydia being attacked. He hasn’t actually said as much. But it’s pretty obvious by the way he looks when he’s looking at Lydia’s hospital bed or the sad, guilty look he gives regularly to Jackson’s back. He thinks he’s covering it though. He has started to fixate on Dr. Deaton actually. And he does have a point. From the outside, the local vet does seem to know an awful lot about werewolves for somebody who is neither a wolf nor a hunter. But then so does Stiles, which Derek point out every time Stiles starts going off about his latest conspiracy theory about the Dr. But he doesn’t push too hard, because he knows this mystery gives Stiles something to focus on. On the other hand Derek has started to monitor the amount of Adderall Stiles takes, closely. By sneaking into his room when no one’s there to count the pills…

Derek’s not even sure when or how Stiles became pack. He suspects it started with the attempt to track down Scott. He knows it was solidified the first time Stiles let him hug him. That had happened out of the blue as far as Derek can tell. Although it could have been a result of anything: from Lydia, to his mother, to his father, to Derek’s family. And really Derek’s not going to question it, because at least somebody in his pack lets him give hugs and hugs in return. And Derek needs that.

Hell his entire pack needs it. Only Jackson comes from a two parent home, but he’s adopted and thinks that takes away from his family or something. Scott’s mom and Stile’s dad love their kids and let them now it but their single parents in high stress jobs and that can put a stress on a family, or at least that’s what Derek read somewhere.

So yeah, Derek’s pack needs hugs and cuddles, because that’s what his instincts are telling him. And that’s what his past is telling him. He’s sure his mother would have known how to help him… but he’s not going there. But his pack is a mess. Stiles and Jackson are blaming themselves for Lydia. Lydia is in the hospital (and yes she’s pack even if it’s only because she’s important to Jackson and Stiles.) And Scott won’t talk to him even when they’re in the same room. Like right now… 

So yeah, Derek can’t help feeling that he’s a bad alpha.

Because a good alpha would be able to fix this.


End file.
